Scottish poll candidate’s PM Modi-RaGa posts spark row – Times of India

LONDON: Social media posts on PM Narendra Modi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi by an Indian-origin candidate for Glasgow in the Scottish elections have ignited controversy in UK, prompting a police report under new hate crime laws. Alba Party candidate Dhruva Kumar, 36, reported his rival party Scottish Greens for allegedly inciting hatred between Hindus and Muslims in Scotland.

Scottish police investigated the complaint lodged on June 8 and found no criminality. Scottish Greens dismissed the allegations as a publicity stunt by Alba.

Kumar, born in Bihar’s East Champaran, has alleged criticism from Scottish Greens over his past social media posts about Modi and Gandhi as an attack on his religion and ethnicity. He claimed to be the first India-born candidate to stand in Scotland and expressed his support for Modi and his close ties to BJP.

The controversy arose from alleged posts by Kumar on X (then Twitter) from 2014, which contained inflammatory comments against “Nehru dynasty” and how “India has paid the price”. Scottish Greens commented on these posts in National, a daily newspaper.

In response. Kumar insisted his account was hacked and that someone “politically motivated” twisted his words into “bad English”. He said: “In 2014 Modi took office and I remember I did some posts praising him and a new era for India. They have twisted what I wrote.”

Scottish Greens candidate Niall Christie accused Kumar of exploiting right-wing politics and questioned what his support for BJP and Modi implied for Glasgow South voters.

Kumar, who moved to Scotland in 2006 and now works at City of Glasgow College, supports the Scottish independence movement, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement.